Water Authority - Cayman
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“Suppliers of the World’s Most Popular Drink”
What’s On Tap?
Volume 9, Issue 2 | May 2016
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CONTACT US
General Enquiries:
94WATER (949-2837)
Emergencies:
946-HELP (4357)
E-mail:
[email protected]
Website:
www.waterauthority.ky
Online Account Access:
online.waterauthority.ky
Water Authority Cleans Up Bodden Town
As an annual sponsor of the
Chamber of Commerce’s Island
Wide Earth Day Clean Up, the
Water Authority staff joined in
once again to do their part to keep
the Cayman Islands’ natural
environment pristine and healthy.
“The Authority has sponsored
staff to participate in the Island
Wide Clean Up since 2007,”
Corporate Communications Officer
Hannah Reid said, “and has been a
proud sponsor of the event itself
since 2009.”
This year the team decided to
tackle the area surrounding Manse
Road in Bodden Town.
A team of 29 staff and a few
family members arrived in Bodden
Town bright and early to start the
clean up. Human Resources
Supervisor Yolita Parchment said
that this was the
highest level of
participation
since
the
Authority
began
sponsoring the event.
“I’ve been organising this clean
up event since 2009 and I must say
that this past Saturday was the
most impressive turnout by staff,”
Ms Parchment said. “It was
wonderful to see the children
participating too. Together we
made a positive difference to the
beaches and roadside of Manse
Road in Bodden Town.”
Ms Reid explained that the
decision to choose an area in
Bodden Town was a way for the
Authority to give back to the
community and thank Bodden
Town residents for their patience
while infrastructure works are
on-going.
“The residents and businesses
of Bodden Town have been very
understanding throughout the
pipeline upgrade project and the
Authority wanted to use this
opportunity
to
show
the
community our appreciation,” she
said.
The second phase of the
Bodden Town Pipeline Project
began in January, 2016. Due to
technical issues, however, work
was temporarily halted in March,
2016.
Ms Parchment said she is
already looking ahead to next
year’s clean up: “I look forward to
an even bigger WAC team next
year!”
Director’s Message
The Authority was once again
proud to be a sponsor of the
Chamber’s annual Island Wide
Earth Day Clean Up. This is an opportunity to give
back to the community that the Authority staff look
forward to each year and we were happy to join the
almost 1,500 other volunteers who signed up to
participate in the 2016 event.
Now that another successful Earth Day has
passed, we at the Authority are setting our sights on
the next important day in our calendar—1 June, the
start of Hurricane Season. I encourage everyone to
start your preparations early and to follow the
Authority on social media for important preparedness
tips and public service announcements. There is also a
wealth of information on what to do before, during
and after a storm on the Authority’s website.
On a more positive note, this issue of What’s On
Tap? also focuses on the Authority’s successful
partnership with the Cayman Islands Further
Education Centre to provide two promising students
with work experience, and an innovative use of
technology by the Authority’s Wastewater and
Engineering Departments. As the year progresses, the
Authority hopes to continue to develop local talent
and encourage technological innovation within its
departments.
— Dr. Frederick-van Genderen
OUR COMMITMENT to you...
The Water Authority was established in 1983 as a statutory body responsible for supplying pure,
wholesome and affordable drinking water to the people of the Cayman Islands.
The Authority is also responsible for the proper treatment of wastewater and for the protection
of the fresh groundwater lenses that exist throughout the Cayman Islands.
KNOWLEDGE ZONE
HURRICANE PREPAREDNESS
Atlantic Hurricane
begins on 1 June.
Season
Before the Storm:
 Turn off the customer
shutoff valve prior to the
onset of the storm to
minimise the chances of
property damage or an
unexpectedly high water
bill. This step is especially
important if you plan to
leave your home to shelter
elsewhere. If your meter
does not have a shutoff
valve on the customer side,
please
contact
the
Authority to learn more
about installing one.
Visit www.waterauthority.ky
for
more
hurricane
preparedness tips.
HR Briefs
Welcome:
Linda Sancroft
Customer Service Representative
Transfers/Promotions:
Bruce Thompson Jr.
Meter Reader
Alyssa Watler
Cashier
Interested in learning
more about working
for the Water
Authority?
Visit us online
to learn more
about our
team!
Using a GoPro to Plumb the Depths
The Authority recently began a
project to inspect the hundreds of
manholes located throughout the
West Bay Beach Sewerage System.
Traditional manhole inspection
cameras, however, can cost
thousands of dollars. So the
Engineering
and
Wastewater
Departments joined forces to come
up with an innovative and costeffective solution... a GoPro!
Gary Phillips, Engineer Wastewater, explained that worker
safety and economics played a
large role in choosing to work with
a GoPro.
“At roughly 10% of the cost of
a traditional manhole inspection
camera, the GoPro camera delivers
exceptionally high quality videos
and pictures,” Mr. Phillips said.
The GoPro camera was
mounted to a special rig designed
in-house. The rig rotates the
camera as it is lowered down the
manhole, resulting in 360° views
that can be watched live from a
tablet as they are recorded.
Graduate Engineer Jodiann
Jackson, who spearheads the
project, said that the innovative
design has already proved its worth
in the field.
“The setup of the apparatus
and GoPro is quick and easy, plus
the quality of the images is
remarkable,” she said.
The videos and photographs
captured by the GoPro allow the
engineers to evaluate the condition
of the manholes without having to
physically send a person inside.
“Manhole videos collected to
date show some of our manholes
to be in excellent condition and
some that are in need of repair,”
said Mr. Phillips, noting that two
manholes identified through the
project are now scheduled to be
replaced completely.
Ms Jackson explained that this
is just the first phase of the
assessment.
“The inspections will be
completed in two stages; we have
started with our lateral lines and
further in the year we will proceed
with our trunk (main) lines which
are deeper and a bit higher risk to
inspect,” she explained.
The project, she says, is just
another example of the Authority
embracing new technology to
maximise productivity.
CIFEC Students Learn on the Job through Internships
As part of its commitment to
the development of local talent,
the Authority welcomed two
students from the Cayman Islands
Further Education Centre.
The students, Ernest Bennett
and Winston Lightbody, worked
part-time with the Building &
Equipment
division
of
the
Operations Department for 5
months. During this time, the
students got hands-on experience
working with the vehicles and
equipment that are vital to the
Authority’s infrastructure projects.
CIFEC Career Services Manager
Heather-Ann Cahill said that
placing young people with local
companies helps them to build a
strong work ethic.
“For example, at the Water
Authority students are building
their confidence and knowledge as
well as their dependability, time
management and the ability to
manage priorities and work in a
team,” she said.
Chief
Human
Resources
Manager Pat Bell explained that
the Authority was proud to partner
with CIFEC.
“We view this as a win-win
situation for the Authority and the
students, who had the opportunity
to experience the ‘real world of
work’ in their area of interest,
which should assist them in
developing their career goals,” she
said. “On the other hand, this was
another great opportunity for the
Authority to establish positive
relationships
with
young
Caymanians and, hopefully, peak
their interest in a career in the
water/wastewater utility sector.”
The students are pictured
below with members of their
families and Water Authority staff.
GRAND CAYMAN P.O. Box 1104 Grand Cayman KY1-1102 Cayman Islands Tel: (345) 949-2837 Fax: (345) 949-0094 Email [email protected] www.waterauthority.ky
CAYMAN BRAC P.O. Box 240 Cayman Brac KY2-2002 Cayman Islands Tel: (345) 948-1403 Fax: (345) 948-1404